The listeria outbreak at the Blue Bell factory in Brenham, Texas was devastating. It didn’t just take Blue Bell ice cream off Texas store shelves, it hit the community in Brenham right in the teeth. According to an August 2015 report from the Houston Chronicle, between the listeria outbreak that occurred in May 2015 and August of 2015, the unemployment rate in Washington County went up by 2 percent. Some estimates showed unemployment going up even more – up to 3.5 percent – as a result of the crisis.Blue Bell fans may not have been able to get their ice cream fix, but the factory workers in Brenham who needed their jobs to take care of their families were in a real crisis. Thanks to an innovative grant program from the U.S. Department of Commerce, however, some hope has returned and help is finally available in Brenham.

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